Index.



0. B. VAN DYKE.

INDEX.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1,1912.

1,075,522. Patented Oct. 14, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

51 mum V601 gag-[3 WJM Wm G. B. VAN DYKE.

INDEX.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1, 1912.

1,075,522; Patented 0ct.14.1913.

' 2 SHEETSSHLET 2. 1H (4L g 3 avwemto'a (Lb arle s 13 .Van ID 1 e I. cHesLss B. vim lJYZI'E, e

' proved G 1,, s ililvlllg various indexing 40 in the first position in guide car 59 cards 3G, 31,

ll 11E f estimation mm w is, leis,

igigilicaticn files will 1, 15212.

5 and State 01'? Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements 1:1

indexes, of which, the following is e specification.

' present invention relates to card-in dexes,and its object is to provide an imzilphabetical card-index, by which any name or word may be indexed with absolute exactness; which need have no mess indexing members than the indexed material at the time requires; and which shall he 1 expansible and contractiblc to the requirements of any changes in such materiel. object is attained by, and the invention finds a preferable embodiment in, the card index hereinafter described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my cardindex having indexing members sufficient in number and cha actor to illustrate the method and mode of operation of my index,

such nieuil'lers being Lei-ranged in proper order in a suitable drawer or tray 38; Fig. 2 is a View of an indexing member adapted to be used therein; and Fig. 3 is e front downward View of other such indexing members letters, similarly illustrating a form of my index, endheing arranged in order in e similar drawer or tray V In my index the indexing members, commonly called guide cards are,

tiiiguish the indexed names eppeeri, g

the

to dis- 0n the letters on .lette following cards 20, marked with of thelziiphabet so positioned their tabs ii that such distingu 2 and 3- oi 1) indicates the first le oil the name indexed; the distinguishing;

let

tee in the second position iminedizitcly to the right of the first position-(as in guide curds 10, ii, 12, 13, ii, 15, 1c, 17., is, is, 20,

2-1 and 22 of Fig. 1) indicates the second letter of such name; the distinguishing letter in the third position-immediately to the right of ihe second position (es in guide 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 of Fig. l. and 37, Fig. 2) indicates the third letter of such name, and so on. it is contemplated that no more guide cards shall he incorporated into my index than may from time to time, the indexed material increases, he-

come necessary; and that when any such guide card becomes no longer necessary by reason of thewithdr wad of its indexed ma ieiial, it may he removed from the index.

it is evident that, by incorporating a suilicient number of guide cards with distin'- guisliing letters in the proper positions thereon, an absolutely exact index for any name or word may he provided; usually, however, it will he found sufiicient to incorporzrte guide cards ranging over perhaps four or five such positions for their distinguishing letters.

In the index shown in Fig. 1, the name Aachen will be found immediately after guide cord 3b; the Word Abacus iininedietely after guide card 31; the name .Bahel after guide card the Word Cask after guide card 21; the Word Bed after guide card 35, etc. These names being indexed. if it is desired to index the Word Bee, guideoard 37 is inserted after card 35, and after card 37 e card 40 showing such indexed Word, etc.

A less number oi guide cards may be employed in many cases, without detracting from the absolute exactness of the ind 1:, by

printing two or more consecutive distinguishing letters on one guide card as shown in guidecerd 5G in 3, which may he followed by lde cards 51, 52, 53, 54, nd 56, etc, displaying distinguishing letters in the second position, and guide card 57, 58, I 9, 60, G1 and 32, etc, having distinguishing ters in the third position, and so on, as 'llustra-ted in Fig. Moreover, inasmuch as certain toi'nhinetions of consecutive letters are never, or practically never, found in words, only such guide curds need he incorporziled whose d inguishing letters display tncse combinations which we igrecticel thus i e l ill. always followed by all the cards W01 he- With Q, may display also the letthe 2. In an expansihle and contractilole,

alphabetical index, a. series of separable l1ldexing members displaying letters of the indexed ords thereon and arrengedin sets, 

